Closed Something Something Stars Something

[Professor Adorah Zumwalt]

Adorah felt overwhelmed by the end of the semester. At the same time, she was beginning to realize that her path was looking more and more like it would be outside of a formal work setting. She considered not taking herself too seriously, but at the same time, she didn't want to leave school next year with bad NEWT levels and her professors thinking of her as a slacker. Thankfully, she was getting a little bit of a break and could patrol, a rather mindless activity. And it just so happened so had to switch partners for the evening and ended up with Elliot. She was rather sad her friend was leaving, as he was really one of her first at school and encouraged her to continue looking at the stars. As she held out her lit wand in the hallway as the last few students made their way down the hall and into their own portrait, she leaned against the wall for a moment, closing her eyes.

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot didn't miss the loss of sleep, but there was definitely something oddly soothing about going on patrol. It was rare he actually had to worry about running into any students and mostly it was just a chance to walk and think. He'd spent most of the first semester patrolling alone, but he was glad for the company when their schedules shifted enough for him to work with Adorah.

He watched for a moment as she leant against the wall, smiling in tired agreement before joining her against the wall, letting out a long, commiserating sigh. "Only a few more weeks, huh," he said, tilting his head and squinting to see if he could see the darkening sky out the window. "You gonna make it?"

 

[Professor Adorah Zumwalt]

Adorah took a few breaths in her peace, enjoying the moment of silence before being jolted out by a familiar voice. She jumped a little, having always been startled easily and softly laughed through her breath. "I guess I should be worried about you more than me," she said, adjusting herself against the wall, eyes still closed. "I can't believe you're graduating," she continued, thinking about how she had only met him for what felt like a short time but was actually six years ago. Opening her eyes, she looked at Elliot, giving him a smile. "You ready to graduate and go out in the big, bad world?"

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot let out a huff of amusement as Adorah's comment, shrugging as if he hadn't been spending the last several days panicking over his graduation speech. "Yeah it feels a bit surreal. I keep thinking I'm like... Graduating wrong or something. Like I'm not making the most of it," he said, shaking his head and sighing. "Think I can trick the hat into thinking I'm just a really big 11 year old?" He offered with a tired smile. "But yeah.. I have no idea if I'm ready. I hope I am but I starting to realize I don't think I can ever be properly ready now... What about you, ready for your own final year? You'll be out in the big bad world with me soon too."

 

[Professor Adorah Zumwalt]

Adorah empathized with Elliot's sentiment. It was hard to not completely take advantage of every opportunity sent your way, but at the same time, they had to retain some sanity. "You might be a little tall, but maybe if we pinch your cheeks, he'll be none the wiser. Just tell 'em you're half giant" she teased. "Or maybe a quarter." She considered Elliot's comment for a moment, shrugging. "I guess we can't ever be ready. I wasn't really ready to come to Hogwarts, but then again, you just figure it out. But yeah... definitely not ready to graduate. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do after," she added, thinking about money and housing and food. "Do you at least have a job for after? I think you mentioned something with Ollivander's still when we did your interview."

 

[Elliot Briar]

Elliot ducked his head, letting out a huff of amusement as Adorah joked along with him. "They really are small, aren't they? Were we that tiny in our first years?" He asked, scrubbing a hand through his hair as he tried to remember, smiling at vague memories of always tripping over his robes until he grew into them better.

He nodded at Adorah's own summation of her final year, somewhat relieved to hear her own fears mirrored his, even though he was perfectly aware of how unsettling it was to be in her position. "Yeah, I think at a certain point we've gotta just accept that we can just deal what ever ends up happening. Maybe not deal with it well," he said sheepishly, squinting through the windowpane above him and smiling as the clouds cleared enough for the first few stars to visible above the treeline surround the school. "No rush to figure that out at least," he offered her, giving a vague shrug since he knew how very unhelpful the advice was. "Yeah, Ollivander's has been good... I like wands, I think. I like working out how it all pieces together," he said, glancing away from the window and back to Adorah. "And at least Ollivander's pays me in the meantime," he added with a sigh.